First off, soon the MPD will reveal what they determined from the first six months of racial profiling data. I am told that the ration of whites to minorities being stopped will be relativly proportional to population demographics. What will be skewed, hence what to look for, is the number of arrests and tows subsequent to trafffic stops. This data will be way out of proportion to demographics. This information will confirm the reporting the Strib did several months ago when they looked at arrest figures relative to charges being made, cases thrown out of court or charges being dropped as well as associated jail costs etc. But then, once again, none of this is news to African Americans in Mpls. Take the case of Quincy. Today i ran into Quincy sitting on a bench in the outer hallway at the Central Library. I've known Quincy going on about five years now since we worked at the same place and every once in a while we run into each other again. Quincy grew up in Wayzata where he went to school before his Mom and Dad moved into South Minneapolis. A number of years back his dad died tragically in a stupid accident and Quincy dropped off my radar for a while. It's only recently over the last year or so we see each other again. Today I ask what he's up to. He says he was downtown to do STS(that's sentence to serve, a restorative justice program)but he missed the bus so he's just chilling eating some fries. He wasn't scheduled to work today so there's no problem; he's just trying to work it off. I assk what's it for and he tells me "traffic stuff". Then we get talking about getting stopped and he's telling me how he'd get a ticket or two, not have money to pay fines and so he'd let em go and then you're popped one night for no reason, they find the warrants, it's off to the jail, your car goes to impound, you got more expenses and every day is storage fees and its that ugly cycle. He's lost two cars to the impound lot.(Do most people realize that over 60% of impound business is from just this sort of stop? It's not snow emergencies or spring or fall cleanups which is what I expect most people think). I say "it could be worse Quincy. You could live in Cincy." and then I go on to tell him about Timothy Thomas, the 19 year old shot while fleeing a cop because of his 12 misdemeanor traffic violations. Then We get talking about other incidents in his life, like walking out of White Castle at Lake and Blaisdell, and hearing a cop in the distance behind him telling him to stop as he starts to cross the street to Champions. Then other cops show up and it's hands on the hood, rifling through pockets and backpack, lame excuses that he looks like a tagger the cop knew, and on your way, Quincy, letting him know they be watching and he should be good. But the piece de resistance is the Wedge story, being confronted at the door the evening of Dec 30th by a woman who tells him and another guy, two feet inside the door they must leave. Now Quincy thinks it may be the other guy they did not like but here he is being punished for the company he keeps, with whiskey on his breath(something permissable I believe when you're 26 years old, when all he wants to do is get habaneros and fish to take home and cook. So they leave after the woman asks several times and its obvious she won't relent but then Quincy gets to thinking, 'I come in here several times a week in the daytime with my daughter, my mother is a member and used to be on the board, and why shouldn't I be able to get my two things?' So quincy comes in alone, gets his habaneros and his fish at which point he's confronted by the "manager" again, a woman it turns out I know and who also happens to be African American, who says " I told you six times to get out" to which he says "I got my two things and I'm leaving" at which point she and a security guard quietly usher him out the door. Here's the good part. Outside the security guard and two more who step from around the corner start getting on him and he's trying to get away and they're taking him down to the ground in the street(Lyndale) and kicking and punching him and putting on handcuffs so tight it hurts those bones on the outside of your wrist and his hands are cold and he can't feel them and next here comes MPD's finest who tighten the cuffs even more, saying "I can still get my finger between the cuff and wrist, haha" and its downtown and under the clock and next morning cut loose without charges or seeing a judge or anything else except another reminder it ain't much fun sometimes being young, black and male in Mpls especially when you just want to feel your dignity as one of god's creatures. Hope i didn't bore you. You should know the gentle soul I know as Quincy. He captivated me with his story only a small portion of which I could share. Tim Connolly Ward 7 __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? 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